Yard Tourists Left Locked Out

No more camera flashes in front of the John Harvard Statue. No more questions about the visitors center. No more crowds blocking the way to class. Since Nov. 9, the tourists of Harvard have been locked out of the Yard.

Replacing the daily hordes of visitors, student protestors have pitched a small tent city in front of University Hall. They are occupying Harvard Yard.

Yet these bold few—there are rarely more than 20 or so in the tents representing “Occupy Harvard”—have elicited a significant reaction from the Harvard University Police Department, which has quartered the Yard off and allows access only to students.

And the campus feels different. With HUPD officers no longer allowing casual visitors to enter America’s most selective university, students say that losing the daily flow of tourists has stripped the Yard of its identity as a bustling center. And for the occupiers, who say the administration’s security response is trying to turn the students against the protestors, the loss of the Yard’s most prevalent passers-by hurts their message.

A TENT CITY IN AN EMPTY YARD

For the past week and a half, students have strolled through an uncannily deserted Harvard Yard.

“The Yard feels empty now with out them,” says Connie S. Zhong ’14, who notes the absence of the large crowds that used to surround the John Harvard Statue and were led by “screaming tour guides.”

“It made Harvard, Harvard, having them around,” she adds.

While the increased security has altered the campus’ feel and frustrated some tourists, most are understanding of the University’s response.

For Alvaro Gomez, a high school senior visiting with his classmates from southern Texas, the increased security was an example of the University’s commitment to protecting its undergraduates.

“[Harvard] is secure for us students,” Gomez said.

But occupiers question whether the administration might be overreacting.

“Harvard campus is open to thousands of tourist daily, and, if there were concrete evidences of threats, I’d feel more understanding,” says Helen M. Stevens ’11, who is participating in the Occupy movement. “The tourists aren’t a threat to Harvard.”

John S. Dwyer, another member of the Occupy Harvard movement and a student at the Harvard Extension School, believes the University may be acting unfairly with the policy­—in an effort to cast a negative light on the protest.

“From my time at Occupy Boston, I’m aware of the safety concerns,” Dwyer says. “But I am also aware the University might be using this to turn the people against us.”

‘NO ENTRY’ ALLOWED

Many tourists still expectantly march to the gates of Harvard—only to find them locked to outside visitors. These tourists often have not heard of the Occupy Harvard movement and are confused when HUPD officers turn them away.

Samiah Hassan, a tourist, says that she was surprised by the security in place.

“Not everyone is a threat or a menace,” Hassan says.

Hassan added that she would prefer if the University only restricted smaller areas in the yard.

She is only one of many tourists. According to University spokesperson Lauren M. Marshall, an average of 30,000 visitors participate in Harvard’s official tours each year. Currently, the University has stopped all tours.

“Given security precautions the University has put in place, the Harvard Information Office has suspended daily public tours,” Marshall wrote in an emailed statement. “However, a few previously scheduled groups are being accommodated with an abbreviated tour that does not require access to Harvard Yard.”

Since tours are no longer allowed into the yard, high school students like Gomez and his classmates from Texas cannot see the complete picture of what life might be like for them as freshmen at Harvard.

“I enjoyed [my visit], but I would be satisfied if we could enter,” Gomez says. “I don’t believe [the increased security is] not fair because they need to be cautious, but we all really wanted to enter.”

‘AS MANY YEARS AS NECESSARY’

Current students, while enjoying the freer Yard, do sympathize with the turned-away tourists.

“They travelled a long way to get here, and they didn’t have advanced notice the yard would be shut down,” Margaret L. Flatt ’12 says.

The University remains vague on its long-term plans with respect to the protestors, and some students have begun discussing when the occupiers will desert the Yard.

Neither Dywer nor Stevens is certain how long the protests will continue.

According to Dwyer, protestors might stay in the Yard to show support for the Occupy Boston movement, even if the demands of the Occupy Harvard movement are met. The movement’s demands range from bridging the alleged 180:1 income ratio gap between Harvard Management Company executives and custodial staff to stopping the University’s investments in what the protestors see as irresponsible funds that are allegedly funding land grabbing in Africa.

The occupiers, Dwyer says, are committed to continuing the protests for “as many years as necessary.”